Apple Introduces New Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2

Apple kicked off its Fall event today with its new Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2. The Apple Watch Series 9 keeps the same design as last year’s Series 8, but it comes with a brand new S9 chip, a more vibrant display with a maximum brightness of 2000 nits, and an interesting double tap gesture.

Apple claims that the 30% faster GPU on the Watch Series 9 will result in smoother animations across watchOS. However, battery life remains the same as Apple still promises a maximum of 18 hours of usage throughout the day.

Apple’s S9 chip also includes a 2x faster neural engine that enables faster on-device Siri capabilities. Apple’s new U2 ultrawide-band chip, which is also included on the new iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro, will allow users to easily find their misplaced iPhone and see media suggestions when they’re in close proximity of a HomePod.

The new double tap gesture on the Apple Watch Series 9, however, will allow users to control the wearable device by just tapping their thumb and index finger. This gesture can be used to answer or end a phone call, play and pause music, and even take a picture from an iPhone with the Camera Remote.

“This new double tap gesture is enabled by the faster Neural Engine in Apple Watch Series 9, which processes data from the accelerometer, gyroscope, and optical heart sensor with a new machine learning algorithm. The algorithm detects the unique signature of tiny wrist movements and changes in blood flow when the index finger and thumb perform a double tap. The double tap gesture will be available in a software update next month,” Apple explained today.

The Apple Watch Series 9 starts at $399.99 for the Wi-Fi model, and the Cellular version starts at $499.99. Both models are available to pre-order today alongside the new iPhone 15 lineup, and shipments will start on September 22.

Apple Watch Ultra 2

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 features the same S9 chip as the Apple Watch Series 9, and it will also support the new double tap gesture to control the watch without touching the screen or digital crown. The new Apple Watch Ultra 2 still offers the best battery life with up to 36 hours of regular use and up to 72 hours in Low Power mode, even though the display is now up to 50% brighter (up to 3000 nits).

While the design of the Watch Ultra 2 is similar to the original model, there’s a new modular watch face that displays more real-time data at a glance. The new U2 Ultra Wideband chip is also present to enable Precision Finding, and users can expect the same expanded on-device Siri capabilities that I previously mentioned for the Watch Series 9.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 will be priced at $799 in the US, and it will also start shipping on September 22. This year, there are also new Alpine Loop or Trail Loop bands featuring 95% recycled titanium.

Last but not least, Apple emphasized today that the Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2, and Apple Watch SE are the company’s first carbon-neutral products. However, that’s only if you pick up select case and band combinations. As an example, any aluminum Apple Watch Series 9 with a new Sport Loop band is carbon neutral, and Apple said that a Watch Ultra 2 paired with a new Trail Loop or Alpine Loop is also carbon neutral.

“Emissions were reduced from the three biggest sources of greenhouse gases — materials, electricity, and transportation. The small amount of emissions remaining are offset with high-quality carbon credits from nature-based projects,” Apple said today.